the keeper's cottage · day 510 · evening

Evening meal and quiet

They are in the keeper's cottage, preparing a simple meal of limpets and sea beet over the stove. The light is fading, the radio sits silent on the shelf, and the poultice remains on Jenny's ankle as they eat in silence, each tired from their own work.

The evening air is heavy with humidity, the light onshore breeze carrying the scent of salt and damp earth. Inside the cottage, the sound of the boiling kettle provides a low drone to the silence as Jenny sits on the stool, her ankle elevated, watching the red streaks of infection creep toward her calf with grim focus. Kevin prepares the poultice, crushing the mint and sea beet with a precision that masks the urgency of stopping the fever.

🔧 Kevin22:27

Taste alright?

I lift a limpetshell to my lips, chew slowly, and watch Jenny stir the sea beet in the pot without looking up.

💭 peek at the thought

The steam from the limpets fogs the window, and for a moment I forget the tide, the wedges, the silence between us. I just want to eat, to feel full, to not think about the trench or the radio or whether Tom still hates me.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny22:27

It's fine. A bit salty.

Stir the pot slowly, then lean back against the counter and wince as I shift my weight off the infected leg.

💭 peek at the thought

It tastes like salt and desperation. I can't even focus on the flavor because my ankle is humming.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin22:28

Let me take a look. It’s been a while since I changed the dressing.

I set my plate down, push back from the table, and move toward Jenny with slow, careful steps, keeping my weight off my bad leg as I reach for the poultice on her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s in pain again, and I didn’t notice until she moved. I keep waiting for her to say it straight, but she never does — just tightens her jaw and pushes through. I hate that I still don’t know how to help without making it worse.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny22:29

Be careful. It's still throbbing.

Pull my leg back slightly as he reaches out, watching the red streaks climbing toward my calf.

💭 peek at the thought

Don't touch it too hard. The skin is tight and hot, like it might burst.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:30

We need to start the doxycycline now. Tonight.

I gently lower Jenny’s leg back onto the stool, turn to the shelf where the antibiotic blister pack sits, and tear open the foil with my thumb, exposing one white tablet. I hold it out to her with a glass of water from the kettle.

💭 peek at the thought

The red’s worse than yesterday. It’s spreading. I should’ve started the antibiotics sooner — I kept thinking it would break on its own, like the last time. But this isn’t the last time. This is something else.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny22:31

Okay.

Take the tablet from his hand and swallow it with a large gulp of water, staring at the angry skin of my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Four days until the boat. If this doesn't work, I won't be able to walk to the garden.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:32

I’ll redo the poultice after this. Fresh sea beet and mint. It’ll help draw it out.

I stand, move to the counter, and begin tearing clean strips from the gauze roll while Jenny watches the steam rise from the pot, her eyes fixed on the red lines creeping up her leg.

💭 peek at the thought

She took it without argument. That’s not like her. She’s either too tired to fight, or she knows it’s serious now. I watch her throat work as she swallows, and I feel the weight of it — not just the infection, but everything we’re not saying. The radio’s silent. The trench failed again. And I still haven’t fixed that damn mooring ring right.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny22:33

Make sure the mint is fresh.

Reach out and touch the edge of the table, my fingers trembling as I wait for him to start the cleaning.

💭 peek at the thought

If the infection gets to the bone, I'll never be able to plant the seeds.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:34

I’ve got it. Fresh mint’s in the damp cloth by the sink. I’ll crush it fine this time.

I turn to the bundle of damp cloth, lift out the mint sprigs, pinch off the leaves, and begin crushing them between my fingers on a clean spoon, letting the green juice and scent rise as I work.

💭 peek at the thought

Her hand’s shaking. She’s trying not to show it, but I see it. I’ve seen this before — not the infection, but the quiet giving way. The way she holds herself when she’s bracing for pain and doesn’t want to burden me with it. I won’t let her do this alone.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.